Interprocess communication protocol system modem

• US 6,212,566 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1996
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IMEC International
• Original Assignee: IMEC International
• Inventors: Rompaey, Karl Van, Vernalde, Serge, Vanhoof, Jan, Wouters, Maryse
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANG, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US08/592,697
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 712/1, 709/231, 709/200, 709/215, 709/230, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/3308 using simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

The interprocess communication protocol system provides a generic communication system for communication between specified processes in a complex digital system. In accordance with the interprocess communication protocol, a group of pre-defined communication signals are defined, to which all communications between the processes conform. Interface hardware is disclosed to provide communication between processes. In addition, the communication protocol can be designed into the process as and integral portion of the processes.

Claims

1. A method for defining a system specification for a digital system, said method comprising the steps of:

partitioning said system into a plurality of processes, each of the processes having a defined behavior and each of the processes having at least one control thread;

defining separately from said processes a data communication protocol for communication between said processes;

configuring data communication interfaces in the form of communication input ports and communication output ports for each of the processes, the communication ports forming memoryless communication channels and providing unidirectional, point-to-point connections between input ports of a first process and output ports of a second process, said input ports and said output ports being part of the associated processes, said processes implemented in C, Silage or VHDL language; and

combining the results of the steps of partitioning, defining and configuring to define specifications for said plurality of processes to form said system specification.

2. A method of implementing a digital system comprising the steps of:

partitioning said system into a plurality of processes, each process having a defined behavior and with at least one control thread;

defining separately from said processes, a data communication protocol for communication between said processes;

organizing said data communication protocol with input and output ports for said processes, said ports using memoryless communication channels and wherein said communication ports connect processes defined of at least one of a plurality of specifications selected from a group consisting of Silage descriptions, C descriptions, VHDL process descriptions; and

designing processors to implement said process by specifying a programmable digital signal processor having a specification which conform to the processes implemented.

3. A method of implementing a digital system comprising the steps of:

partitioning said system into a plurality of processes, each process having a defined behavior and with at least one control thread;

defining separately from said processes, a data communication protocol for communication between said processes;

organizing said data communication protocol with input and output ports for said processes, said ports using memoryless communication channels, wherein said communication channels are implemented as interrupt driven I/O; and

designing processors to implement said process by specifying a processor having specification which conform to the processes implemented.

4. A method of implementing a digital system comprising the steps of:

partitioning said system into a plurality of processes, each process having a defined behavior and with at least one control thread;

defining separately from said processes, a data communication protocol for communication between said processes;

organizing said data communication protocol with input and output ports for said processes, said ports using memoryless communication channels, wherein said communication channels are implemented in integrated circuit form for communications between a first processor and a second processor across said channel, said first and second processors selected from one or more of a plurality of processor types comprising Cathedral-III processors, ARM processors and VHDL generated processors; and

designing processors to implement said process by specifying a processor having specification which conform to the processes implemented.

5. A method of implementing a digital system comprising the steps of:

partitioning said system into a plurality of processes, each process having a defined behavior and with at least one control thread by defining a library of auxiliary processes to simulate the digital system, the library of processes selected from a plurality of processes comprising one or more of an interactive I/O process, a file I/O process, a graphical output process, a channel duplicator process, a channel merging process, a FFT process, a slider process, a button process, a first-in, first-out buffer process, an ARM processor, a digital to analog conversion process and an analog to digital conversion process;

defining separately from said processes, a data communication protocol for communication between said processes;

organizing said data communication protocol with input and output ports for said processes, said ports using memoryless communication channels and wherein said communication ports connect processes defined of at least one of a plurality of specifications; and

designing processors to implement said process by specifying a programmable digital signal processor having a specification which conform to the processes implemented.